Try the calculator
Runs in your browser. No signup, upload or saved inputs.
When this is useful
Use this to identify a script that is clearly too dense before recording. The default 150 words per minute is an editable planning assumption, not a measured ideal pace for your audience or presenter.
How to use this calculator
- Paste the spoken script without timestamps or stage directions, since those would otherwise count as words.
- Set a pace based on an actual read-through if you have one. Add seconds for intentional pauses and result holds.
- Compare the estimate with the available scene duration, then read the script aloud against the footage. Shorten ideas before forcing an unnatural performance.
Worked calculation
An illustrative 75-word script at 150 words per minute takes 30 seconds of speech. Adding five seconds of pauses produces an estimated total of 35 seconds. The same words at 125 words per minute take 36 seconds before pauses.
Formula and units
Estimated seconds = word count ÷ words per minute × 60 + pause seconds.
Limits and checks
Words are counted as whitespace-separated groups. This is not a reliable linguistic word counter for scripts that do not separate words with spaces. Pronunciation, emphasis and the time needed to inspect the product can change the actual duration.
Your next step
Use the estimate to revise a draft, then approve the real spoken take and its caption timing.
References and scope
Examples are illustrative production guidance, not measured customer results. General workflows are not promises of product compatibility. Read our editorial approach and current Demovela scope.